Summit of the Old Gods

When Lu Ran finished traversing all seven islands and reclaimed the last Evil Mirror Demon Queen, he once again tasted the sensation of a brain tremor!

The Evil Mirror Sculpture had leveled up!

For a moment, Lu Ran didn't know whether to be happy or to sigh.

He had occupied the seven overseas islands in early June this year.

Today was the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Over the course of half a year, the seven Evil Mirror Demons stationed on the seven islands had collectively sent the Evil Demon Lord on his way.

But it was just one journey.

Lu Ran had no exact data on how much Holy Spirit Energy the Evil Mirror Demons had contributed.

He was also unsure how much Holy Spirit Energy was required for the Evil Mirror Demon Sculpture in the Sculpture Garden, which was at Sea Realm First Rank, to level up to the Second Rank.

It could require as little as one strand or as many as a thousand strands.

So this time, Lu Ran was more cautious.

As he created more Evil Mirror Demons and taught them to collect Holy Spirit Energy, he also asked them to record the data they collected.

For each strand of Holy Spirit Energy acquired, they would mark a tally on the stone walls of the cave.

The little demons were smart enough to easily understand Lu Ran's intention.

Lu Ran wasn't surprised by this, considering the Evil Mirror Demon race had a myriad of methods for torturing living beings.

They were quite intelligent!

Keeping track of data was a simple task for them.

That night, with his brain buzzing, Lu Ran set his eyes on two more islands.

With dawn breaking and the Evil Mirror Demon Sculpture advancing to Sea Realm Second Rank, he could now create two more Evil Mirror Demons at River Realm Peak.

And so, Seven Star Island went down in history.

Nine Star Island made its debut!

Lu Ran thought he could summon back the three Evil Mirror Demons guarding the three directions of Cloud Sea Cliff, bringing them all to the island.

And thus establish a Twelve Star Island...

After some consideration, Lu Ran decided to have them continue guarding Cloud Sea Cliff.

The Ran Sect had nearly a hundred disciples.

Everyone trusted Lu Ran so much, wanting to follow Master Lu and live a stable life, so Lu Ran naturally had to protect Cloud Sea Cliff well.

In the following days, Lu Ran led the Forbidden Guards in an extensive search at sea.

With teleportation and flickering, the efficiency was incredibly high!

The heavens do not disappoint the diligent!

On the fourth day, Lu Ran and his team finally discovered an island.

Or perhaps, it should be called an Immortal Island...

"Eh! Eh?!"

Within the Feixian Hall at Cloud Sea Cliff, a place meant to be extremely solemn, came the startled cries of a girl.

The disciples of the Ran Sect who were worshiping god suddenly felt displeased!

People raised their heads to look, glaring at the one causing the disturbance.

But they found the one disrupting the order was actually the Mad Immortal Guardian, who was presiding over the hall?

The crowd was immediately filled with doubt.

They had joined the Ran Sect for four or five days and had understood the internal structure of the sect, knowing they belonged to the Feixian Hall.

The Hall Master's name was Song Yu, and above him, one of the four major guardians of the Ran Sect, the Mad Immortal Guardian, presided over the situation.

Yet this guardian lord...

Knows wrong and still makes mistakes?

At this moment, Si Xianxian was deep inside the hall, kneeling in front of the large stone sculpture of Jiang Ruyi.

Her body was trembling, already understanding what had happened.

The Lie Tian Divine Sculpture had leveled up!

It was making a great stride from River Realm Peak to Sea Realm!

Si Xianxian's face turned bright red, realizing many people were watching her. She immediately turned her head and said, "What are you looking at?

Can't you concentrate on your prayers with such a small incident?

Do you call this devotion?"

The believers all lowered their heads, some even looking ashamed.

This act of passing the blame on others was something Sister Xian'er had mastered...

"Hmph." Si Xianxian picked up the Mad Hammer, stood up, and briskly walked out of the hall.

Damn fool!

Would it hurt you to give me a heads-up?

Is it that difficult to send a message?

Meanwhile, within the small courtyard at Cloud Sea Residence, there was a sudden surge of energy.

"Swish~"

An ancient and elegant full-length mirror rapidly unfolded.

"You guys, do as you please." Lu Ran said casually, striding toward the door.

Yan Shuangzi watched Lu Ran's eager back, and even her expressionless face revealed a trace of a smile.

The strenuous efforts of searching these past few days, along with intense battles against the Mo Li army, the Furious Sea Flame Flood Dragon, the Evil Mirror Demon, and other demonic tribes, were all worthwhile!

What did the Sea Realm Lie Tian Divine Sculpture mean for Lu Ran?

It meant absolute authority!

The Sea Grade Fiery Fire Heavenly Leader would allow Lu Ran to have a decisive upper hand when facing Sea Realm creatures!

Even... even if the opponent was a Heavenly Realm Great Power, Lu Ran should be able to contend with them?

The question is, how many Heavenly Realm Great Powers are there in the Mountain Realm?

The Sect Master...

Could probably walk unchallenged in this Holy Spirit Mountain!

Yan Shuangzi sincerely felt happy for Lu Ran, while at this moment, Lu Ran collapsed onto the bed in his bedroom.

He immediately entered his spiritual world, sought out the Dong Ting Divine Sculpture, and chose to activate it.

Come on, let the storm come even fiercer!

"Boom——"

Lu Ran's head went blank, and his eyes gradually became vacant.

Actually, advancing two stone sculptures at once wasn't Lu Ran's limit; he could still move around, but if one more stone sculpture vibrated, Lu Ran would be utterly finished.

However, Lu Ran decided to be kind to himself.

Two little ancestors causing chaos was already enough for him to handle.

After activating the stone sculptures, Lu Ran didn't even try to maintain his sanity or attempt to think.

The principle was simple:

Give up resisting, I'm an idiot!

Lu Ran lay sprawled on the bed, staring at the ceiling, motionless.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed.

In a daze, amidst the humming sounds, Lu Ran vaguely heard a familiar female voice.

[Lu Ran? Lu Ran?]

[Ah?] replied Lu Ran blankly, confused.

[Lend me the Little Blazing Phoenix, I need to break through.]

[Ah...]

[Hehe~] Jiang Ruyi couldn't help but chuckle lightly, feeling Lu Ran wasn't very smart, [What's wrong with you, still groggy from sleep?]

"Uh." Lu Ran grinned, sitting up and rubbing his head vigorously.

He thought quite some time had passed, only to find that the Fiery Fire Heavenly Leader's Divine Sculpture was still shaking!

Ascending from River Realm Peak to Sea Realm, half a day is sufficient.

In other words, he had only emptied his thoughts for a short while.

"Blazing Phoenix, Little Blazing Phoenix?" Lu Ran's head was buzzing, unwilling to transmit his voice.

"Hoo~"

By the pillow, the Little Blazing Phoenix silently flew over, gently touching Lu Ran's arm.

"Ah, you're here!" Lu Ran turned his head and finally saw the little fellow.

Little Blazing Phoenix: "..."

I've been snuggled against your cheek, always sleeping with you!

Didn't you feel anything?

"Go, find mom...ahem, find Ruyi." Lu Ran patted the gourd with the Phoenix Pattern, "She's in the first seclusion room."

With those words, Lu Ran leaned back and lay on the bed again.

The Phoenix Patterned Gourd hovered silently.

Seeing its master continuing to "play dead," with no further reaction, the Little Blazing Phoenix had no choice but to fly away unhappily.

Mom?

She's as scary as that woman.

Both are so strict.

I don't like them.

At nightfall, the Fiery Fire Heavenly Leader's Divine Sculpture finally stopped expanding, settling down.

Sea Realm·First Rank!

At the same time, the Dong Ting Divine Sculpture had reached the River Realm Peak and, with its steps uninterrupted, was making a sprint toward the Sea Realm.

Lu Ran had thoroughly entered a state of emptiness, oblivious to all of this.

Even as a dense fog gradually rose in the room...

...

Three days later, on the seventeenth of the twelfth lunar month.

A celestial figure descended from the sky, holding the Phoenix Patterned Gourd.

"Whoosh~"

A woman appeared out of thin air, blocking the door, with two daggers gleaming with cold light in her hands.

"Forbidden Guard?" Jiang Ruyi stood in midair, looking at the unfamiliar woman below.

This person wearing green raincoat and blue hat was a typical Ran Sect solder attire.

Just as she emerged from seclusion, the Nightmare Guardian who came to congratulate Jiang Ruyi shared about the recent changes in Ran Sect.

Zhong Ling also scrutinized the visitor; the woman in the white dress matched perfectly the stone sculpture deep within Feixian Hall.

And the woman was holding the Phoenix Patterned Gourd.

This already indicated a lot.

Is this the Sect Master's lady?

The missing face from the stone sculpture inside the hall turned out to be such a delicate and cold beauty...

The Evil Shadow Guardian immediately appeared, saluting Jiang Ruyi, "Lady."

"Hmm." Jiang Ruyi slowly floated down into the courtyard.

"This is Shadow Three." Yan Shuangzi briefly explained the establishment of the Forbidden Guard by Lu Ran.

"Apologies, lady, I didn't recognize you." Shadow Three bowed her head.

"It's alright." Jiang Ruyi smiled, not minding.

"Congratulations on advancing to the River Realm Peak, lady." Yan Shuangzi softly congratulated.

"Hmm." Jiang Ruyi walked while speaking, "Is he at home?"

"A few days ago, the master absorbed all the Holy Spirit Energy from an Immortal Island, and since returning he has been lying still in the house."

Yan Shuangzi's tone showed slight concern, and she added, "Mr. Cong Long came to see, saying the Sect Master should be fine."

Jiang Ruyi furrowed her brows slightly, quickening her pace a bit.

She knew well that the advancement of the stone sculpture in Lu Ran's spiritual world significantly affected his state.

When Jiang Ruyi reached the bedroom, she indeed found Lu Ran lying in bed.

She quietly approached the bed, bent down to observe, and heard his even breathing.

Is this an advancement?

Or is he just sleeping?

Jiang Ruyi hesitated for a long time but refrained from disturbing him.

She took off her dress and shoes, carefully lying on her side next to him, watching his peacefully sleeping face, which now put her heart at ease.

Perhaps, he was just too tired.

Jiang Ruyi was well aware of how intense Lu Ran's tasks were.

He first advanced himself, spending nine days, and just as he was nearing success, Deng Yuxiang caught a free ride, taking another eight or nine days.

Lu Ran had been guarding the Cloud Sea Cliff day and night, without rest.

After Deng Yuxiang emerged, Lu Ran went to the Forbidden City, and upon return, recruited believers to manage the situation.

Then that night, Lu Ran went straight out to sea...

The Great Power of Jianghai indeed possessed far more stamina than ordinary people.

But unlike eating or drinking, they still needed some sleep.

Mental exhaustion, while related Divine Techniques could provide relief, true recovery still depended on getting some sleep.

A trace of distress flickered in Jiang Ruyi's eyes.

She gently moved her slender jade hand to sneak into his palm.

"Heh..."

Feeling the warmth of his hand, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Should she... leave?

Jiang Ruyi bit her lip, struggling internally.

What if I suddenly advance to Sea Realm, would I wake him?

Unbeknownst to Jiang Ruyi, the seemingly asleep Lu Ran was currently inside the God Demon Sculpture Garden, foolishly gazing up at an enormous Divine Sculpture...

This… Damn!

This...?

...